The present disclosure relates to a system and method for generating feedback on exercise technique, e.g. running style.
For example, WO 2013/022344 describes a system and method for providing feedback to a user on the reactivity of his running style. A pressure sensitive surface records a gait line of the center of pressure exerted by the user's foot on an underlying surface during a footstep period. The reactivity describes the viscoelastic behavior of the muscle-tendon unit and is calculated as a function of the loading time and/or the distance moved by the center of pressure backwards towards the heel. Correspondingly, feedback is provided to the user about his running reactivity. The feedback may be one or more of a visual, audio, or haptic feedback signal. For example, a human interface may comprise a display providing a visual feedback signal to the user as a function of the calculated reactivity. The display may e.g. simply display a number that is proportional to the calculated reactivity and/or display a graph, e.g. a bar graph that extends as a function of the reactivity. The display could also provide a feedback by varying the color of a displayed image as a function of the calculated reactivity.
For example EP 2 407 219 A2 describes a portable fitness monitoring device which may include a visual display output device, e.g. a wrist band having one or more visual displays such as devices disclosed in EP 2 260 910 A1. While the known visual display output device is suitable to give feedback on some physiological parameters such as heartbeat, it is found less suitable to provide feedback on exercise technique, in particular for biomechanical parameters which can change each foot step. For example, when the user is forced to change and hold the posture of his arm to view the known visual display output device, this will inevitably affect his walking technique.
There is yet a desire to provide intuitive and easy to customize feedback on different aspects of a person's exercise technique while minimally disturbing the exercise technique.